Collar attachment



W 3950 .J. W. LESS ET AL. Q 2,95,679

COLLAR ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. 14, 1947 JWJess, A. 12559,

Patented Apr. 25, 1950 NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GQLLAR HMENT Joseph W.Less, Clinton, and Albert J Less, Cedar Rapids, Iowa ApplicationFebruary 14, 1947, Serial No. 728,555

6 Claims. 1

This invention has to do with so-called collar attachments, or thatclass of devices used on a shirt collar for maintaining the pointsthereof in close proximity to a shirt bosom.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple but Whollyeffective form of attachment wherein two spiral lineally extendingsprings are employed, one lying within the other, terminals of which areadapted to act in opposite directions to jointly engage a collar pointwhile the springs lie in the fold of the collar, the natural tendency ofstress causing the collar points to hold close to the shirt bosom.

Another object is to provide a pair of spiral springs housed one withinthe other, together with an enclosing member for two adjacent terminalsof the springs, one of said terminals being fixed with respect to saidmember while the other is shiftable with respect to both the fixed namedterminal and said member whereby such terminals may be made toseparately impale the collar point during stresses set up on the twosprings in the application of the device to the collar.

The advantages of the structure will appear from the followingdescription aided by the appended drawing forming part thereof.

Figure l of said drawing is a front elevation of the collar of a shirtshowing a device of the present invention in place at each collar point.

Figures 2 and '3 are plans of the two opposite sides of the collarattachment shown full size.

Figure 4 illustrates in perspective, and much enlarged, an enclosinmember showing two spring terminals project ng therefrom.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of the member shown in Figure 4produced on line 5-5 of Figure '3.

Figure 6 shows in perspective a portion of ,one of the coil springsillustrated Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of part of the member shown in Figure5 to illustrate certain perforations in the wall thereof, and beingpro.- duced on the same line 5.--5 as in Figure 5.

Figure 8 is an end elevation of the member shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 9 is a transverse section of the member of Figure 5 produced online 9-@ thereof, and

Figure 10 is identical with Figure 5 but shows both springs thereinunder stress as compared with said Figure 5.

The structure in the present form of collar attachment is unique in thattwo spiral springs are provided, one of which lies within the other, andserve, as their purpose, to bring about the control of the point of acollar without the usual complication in construction and operation.

In Figure l one of the devices is shown applied to each of the points ofa collar identifiedat A. The structure is best shown in Figures 2 and 3wherein the simplicity of appearance is evident. The device includes aspring l within which is a spring 2 of an outer diameter slightly lessthan the inner diameter of said spring I, thus permitting theconvolutions of both to freely move with respect to each other. Thejoint springs are of lengths suilicient to extend from near the extremesof the cellar point in an angling direction upwardly to lie for aconsiderable part within the fold of the collar and paralleling saidfold as in said Figure 1, the opposite extremities of the springs eachterminating in this instance in a cavited member 3 shown in Figure l andsome of the figures following.

As in Figure 5, for example, the said member 3 is, in this instance, arelatively long and narrow shell somewhat flattened so that a flat sidethereof may face a collar point while its counterpart may lie betweenthe spaced collar portions at the said collar fold.

One end of the member receives against it an end of the outer spring 5,the latter being soldered or otherwise fixed to said member, while theextremity of said spring denoted at 4 extends into the cavity of saidmember and thence projecting from a side wall of the same, and sharpenedto create an impalement point facing toward the opposite end of suchmember.

The end of the inner spring 2 extends into the cavity of the member andterminates in a hooked and sharpened impalement point 5 which extendstoward and opposes the point ,4 while lying substantially in the sameplane therewith.

Said spring 2 is free to stress within and with respect to the member 3but is normally prevented doing so since normally its hook 5 liesagainst an abutment 6 of said member. That is to say, as shown inFigures 5, 8 and '10 the outer or free extremity of the member 3 isprovided with a slot 1 central thereof acting as a guide for, andsupporting the hook 5 in an upright position, the wall of the member atthe terminus of the slot providing said abutment, it being observed thatthe slot of such extent that the hook it may have movement away from theabutment in stretching the spring of which it is a part.

Normally the convolutions of the outer spring I are in abutment witheach other and since the members 3 are affixed to the ends thereof theycan be no closer to each other than the total length of the unexpandedspring. The inner spring, in efiect, is attached at one end to themember but when unsprung is shorter than the spring I. When attached toboth members 3, however, it is under stress or pull and is longer thanthe spring I as held by said members.

It is found that when the wire of Said outer spring i of a type that isless stifi than the inner one said spring may be easily and freely andeven abruptly bent laterally, yet maintain considerable stiffness whenin its normal straight line position. The relation of the springs,therefore readily serve the purpose required herein, especially when theconstantly stressed spring 2 maintains a permanent pull upon the members3 which tends to draw the latter toward each other, which action keepsthe said convolutions of said spring in their abutting relation.

It is preferred to attach a member 3 to each end of the spring structuresince thereby either end of the device may be used at the time it is tobe applied to the collar. But it is to be understood that but one ofsaid members may be employed since these ends of the springs where amember 3 is lacking could be connected to each other and thus serve asthough said member were present.

In either form, however, the manner of attachment as well as the actionof the device is as follows: One extremity of the structure is pushed upsnugly into the fold of the collar, the end having a member 3 dependingtoward, or being brought down to the collar point whereat the saidmember is grasped and the hooked point made to impale the said collarpoint by first drawing upon the spring 2 to increase the stress thereon.Upon pressing the collar point and the member 3 together the hook willengage the collar point material. This resulting, the pull of saidspring will shift the member toward the impalement point 4 a sufficientdistance to cause that point also to engage the fabric of said collarpoint. Thus, both points i and 5 are jointly in service with the resultthat the collar point is firmly and positively held in respect to thesaid member 3. Since that part or the spring structure that lies in thecollar fold is frictionally held securely by the collar portions anynecessary pull upon the spring 2 may be readily made and, conversely,the reaction of the spring in its pull upon the collar point is likewisesustained. Naturally, the effort of the combined springs to straighten,or take up a straight line, results in the collar point being drawntoward and against the shirt bosom as the requirement.

Although the hook 5 may meet the abutment 6 in the pull of the spring 2it is free to back away therefrom when under strain on occasion orbefore engagement as in the collar point.

While the member 3 has been described and shown as of certain detailedconstruction it is understood that any other form and arrangement, andanswering in substantially the same, may be employed.

We claim:

1. A collar attachment for the purpose described including in itsconstruction a pair of normally lineally extending spiral springs, onelying within the other, the convolutions of the outer spring normallyabutting each other, the springs at one of their ends being fixedrelative to each other, that portion of the two sprin s at said endsadapted to lie in the fold of a collar, a member lying at the collarpoint, said springs extending thereto, the end of the outer spring beingaflixed thereto and terminating in an impalement point, the end of theinner spring being normally held relative to said member and alsoterminating in an impalement point, said end maintaining stress on thesaid inner spring and free to move from its held position in oppositionto the springs pull, the two impalement points lying in opposed relationto each other.

2. A collar attachment including in its construction a pair of spiralnormally lineally ex- 7 tending springs, one within the other, and fixedrelatively at one of their ends to each other, a cavitied member havingthe other end of the outer spring aflixed thereto, the bore of thespring opening into its cavity, said end of the spring having a pointedterminal extending outside the member adapted to engage in a collarpoint, the

inner spring extending from the outer spring into said cavity andterminating in an impalement point opposed to said pointed terminal ofthe outer spring and held with respect to said member while holding theparent inner spring under stress, said impalement point being free to beshifted from its held position in opposition to the pull of said parentinner spring.

3. A collar attachment for the purpose described including in itsconstruction a pair of normally lineally extending wound springsenclosed one within the other and having fixed relation to each other atone of their ends, the other ends of the springs terminating each in animpalement point, one directed toward the other, a member in which oneof the terminal points is fixed, the opposing terminal point beingshiftable with respect to said member and guided by the latter whilebeing maintained in its opposing relation to the fixed terminal point.

4. A collar attachment for the purpose described including in itsconstruction a pair of normally lineally extending wound springsenclosed one in the other, and at one of their ends being fixed one tothe other, a member to which the other end of one of said two springs isfixed and having an impalement point for engaging a collar point, theend of the other spring having an impalement point opposing the firstnamed point, and normally seated against the member adapted to beunseated by a pull thereon to separate the two named points.

5. A collar attachment for the purpose described including in itsconstruction a pair of lineally extending spiral springs, one lyingwithin the other, the convolutions of the outer spring normally abuttingeach other, the inner spring being constantly under a pulling strainbetween its ends, a member to which an end of the outer spring is fixed,said end of the latter terminating in an impalement point for engaging acollar, the inner spring at its end also terminating in an impalementpoint to engage the collar and lying in opposition to the first namedimpalement point, and a second member, the ends of the two springsdistant from the first said member supporting said second member, theouter spring being fixed to the latter and termimating in an impalementpoint, the inner spring while under tension being held by and withrespect to said second member but manually shiftable from such relation,and also having an impalement point opposed to and lying opposite thelast named i alement po nt.

6. A collar attachment including in its construction a pair of lineallyextending spirally wound springs lyingone within the other, theconvolutions of the outer spring normally lying in abutment with eachother, a member at each end of the pair of springs with each of which anend of said outer spring is in abutment, each end of said outer springterminating in an impalement point for engaging a collar, the innerspring terminating at its ends each in an impalement point extendingtoward and opposed to the impalement point of the outer spring at eachmem- 6 her, each impalement point of said inner spring also adapted toengage the collar, and said inner spring normally abutting upon andbeing held under tension between the named members.

JOSEPH W. LESS. ALBERT J. LESS.

No references cited.

